Noida: AKTU will create system to help student startups

The AKTU wants to create an academic ecosystem to nurture entrepreneurship in its students

The Dr Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) has decided to create an academic ecosystem to promote startups among the students and alumni of its affiliated colleges. The decision was taken on June 17 in a meeting between the state government, the university administration, associate colleges and industry bodies.

Representatives of the university, affiliated colleges and industry bodies met at the campus on Saturday to discuss the issue.

The meeting was attended by over 30 representatives, including industry bodies such as The Indus Entrepreneurs, Indian Industries Association, Lucknow Management Association, Small Industries Development Bank Of India (Sidbi) and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Representatives of colleges such as JSS Noida, AK Garg College, Kanpur Institute of Technology, IET Lucknow, Galgotia College, PSIT Kanpur, GL Bajaj Group of Institutes, ITS Engineering College, Greater Noida and ABES Engineering College, Ghaziabad also attended the meeting.

More than 800 colleges are affiliated with AKTU across the state, of which 168 are in the Delhi-NCR belt.

“There is a need to create an ecosystem to ensure that AKTU students are provided with the best facilities to promote their innovations within and beyond the campus. I am confident that several startups will emerge from our students once the right platform is created,” said Dr Vinay Pathak, vice-chancellor, AKTU.

“We need startups with innovative ideas that can transform products or services for end users. It is important to identify and nurture ideas while the students are in college and build a culture of entrepreneurship so that students can be self-sufficient,” said Dr Rakesh Verma, registrar, AKTU.

The meeting came in the wake of a mega job fair organised in Noida by AKTU in which around 500 students got jobs. The university has been trying to improve the placement records of its affiliated colleges.

“To ensure the success of startups by the state’s youth, there must be various stakeholders to share knowledge and infrastructure,” said Srijan Pal Singh, former advisor to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.